French and Argentinean
researches have produced new evidence that exposure to pesticides and
other industrial chemicals are contributing to falling sperm counts and
rising infertility, according to Reuters news service (click here for
full news article). The study, entitled Contribution of environmental
factors to the risk of male infertility, appears in the current issue
of the journal Human Reproduction. Click here to read the abstract of
the article.
The study examined 225 men from a productive farming region in Argentina,
the scientists found exposure to insecticides, herbicides and fungicides
could limit their ability to have children. "Our results suggest
that toxicants act on the testes and post-testicular sites, including
accessory sex glands," said Multigner, one of the authors of the
study. "The testicles are one of the most vulnerable organs to environmental,
physical and chemical agents."
The researchers point out that Argentina has become a major user of pesticides
since the 1940s and conclude that other developing countries should be
aware of the harmful effects of pesticides and other industrial chemicals.